Laburnum for my head by temsula ao book summary - Readershub

 Laburnum for my head book summary

Temsula Ao has illustrated striking women characters in her works. Her female identities hail from the North-East region of India and they play an important role in fixing the lives of their men amidst the violence soaring large around them. These women challenge the injustice practiced by the patriarchal system and also question the cruelties perpetrated by the revolutionary forces and the administration forces alike. They save men’s lives, pacify their fears and act as the walking force in their battle to survive.

Lentina, the central identity of the story, is a woman of her own choices and the story is a record of her efforts to achieve her desire to have some Laburnum bushes in her garden. It is fascinating to note that she loves laburnum flowers because of their womanhood and differs them with the brazen orange and dark pink blossoms of gulmohars. In the context of the troubled politics of the North-East, her intention for the yellow mellow beauty of laburnum over the dark pink blossoms of gulmohar is very significant. Traditionally, the colour yellow refers to happiness, positiveness, sophistication, and originality whereas the dark pink is associated with power, passion, etc… This choice of colour itself informs her politics of specifying with the victims of political attack in Nagaland and her desire for the golden shower evokes a desire for easing down the tensions. She attributes humility to the way the laburnum flowers hung their heads earthward. In quick, her love for the flowers springs out of their femininity and modesty. 

At the introduction of the story, the novelist offers a stunning opinion of a laburnum in blossom and describes how the flowers conceal the monuments erected by men of prominence on their tombs. It is customary among the wealthy to erect marble/granite or concrete configurations on their graves to keep their memories alive and to oppose the forgetfulness imposed by death. The feminine flowers of the laburnum help to erase the marks of well-known members of the society and bring out a sense of equality among all humans and declare the victory of nature over everything the patriarchs have created. In another instance, Lentina’s love for the flowers is taken as a fetish and is openly spoken about in close family gatherings. This shows the intolerance practiced by society on women’s choices and how it forces her to stop planting saplings in her gardens. Though this stops her from talking about the tree in public and planting them in her garden, her love for the golden shower does not cease.

Lentini's judgment to join the funeral party of her husband to take part in the last rites at the gravesite is a challenging act to the patriarchal myth which stocks this to man. Though she is not warmly welcomed, no one stops her from carrying out her plan as the gravity of the situation requires them to keep calm. Her strength lies in her sensitivity to the cultural codes of society. Her struggles to buy a piece of land of her own choice bring out her extraordinary powers of persistence and make members of her family admit her strengths and seek her advice on matters running business and family.

In her search for satisfaction, she breaks free of human relationships ascertained by the patriarchal system and redefines them. For example, the nature of her relationship with Babu, the driver, was that of a master-slave and now she evaluates him as an ‘ever-faithful friend’ and a confidant. Her determination to select a blueprint for herself and negotiations with the Town Committee show her courage as a woman and she eliminates marks of patriarchy in the process.

Also, read ; Legends of pensam book summary